Newly Diagnosed As Type 2 & Feeling Alone!

[cusally]

Hi Shoelace, I was given my diagnosis last Monday, the GP said go away, look at the Diabetes UK website and start thinking about your future, I see him tomorrow to discuss, no medicine yet. I dont understand all the measurements people mention, and I really hope there are no needles involved as i have a needle phobia and the sight of blood is not appealing

I don't feel alone as this forum is already answering lots of my questions, but I am feeling:
1) people i know who have diabetes are short tempered people, especially after lunch - is that going to happen to me ?
2) my blurred vision has stopped me driving, a significant issue as i live in a rural area and travel in 3 counties to rural places without trains, so how long will it take to get my sight back to normal ?
3) the fright I got from having such severe blurred vision has really motivated me to change my diet, I get weighed tomorrow and am hoping to have lost some weight, I have gone straight to the 8 week blood sugar diet in Dr Moseley's book, that seemed like a rational choice but reading various comments on the forum it seems this is controversial but i don't know why
4) Why are people so negative about Metformin ? apparently it protects against cancer as well as makes the liver more efficient, so what am i missing ?

 

[Liam1955]

@cusally - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. It does get better, just take each day as it comes and don't worry - you will get it under control. If you don't own a blood sugar meter I would suggest purchasing one. Although you will be told that you don't need to be testing by the Diabetic Nurse and/or GP. The blurred vision will go once you start to get your blood sugars under control. Drink plenty of sugar free fluids and water. Anything you are not sure about just ask questions. Keep us informed on the Forum how you get on tomorrow at the GP Surgery.

 

[Jo123]

@cusally, I think although a lot of people aspire to be drug free, metformin is regarded on this forum mostly as an effective drug in terms of improving insulin resistance and the main side effect can be digestive troubles, bad if it affects you but not as bad as say statins.

I also haven't read any bad reports on the blood sugar diet on this forum, I thought that was well regarded too.
Good luck with it

 

[Shoelace1973]

Hi @cusally

Metformin has made me ill, every single day, since I started taking it - but my Dr just says it will take time for your stomach to get used to it. I'm not sure how long that should be - weeks/months! It takes a lot to upset my stomach & it's very debilitating.

My blurred vision has got worse since getting my sugars down to 10, from 20. But I've read this is due to my body getting used to the sugar drop.

 

[Liam1955]

@Shoelace1973 - Hello. Metformin may cause upset stomach for some people, especially if taken on an empty stomach. Always take it with food during or after eating and drink a glass of water. The good news is these symptoms usually go away after a few weeks. Hope you start to feel better soon.

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thanks @Liam1955 - yes am taking with food. I hope the symptoms do go away soon!

 

[Nigelh]

Your far from alone.. i felt the same when I was diagnosed 18 months ago. Youll prob end up standing in the supermarket wondering what the heck to buy too (i did) Youve already passed the worst and are on the road to improvement. I find if I avoid bread, rice, spuds, pasta, pastry and sugary stuff it helps a lot! Always read the food labels for carbs per 100g and sugars, and dont forget to multiply that by the food weight. Eat more fat! Yes fat! Nuts, real butter, whole milk.. itll give you more energy and youll feel full for longer. Your body will take a while to adjust to lower blood sugar levels , it took me over 6 months (mine was 16 to begin with and now im one point above non diabetic) Keep positive and be strict with yourself. (But allow yourself a treat once in a while) Do as much research on the net including youtube as you need. Things like apple cider vinager, cinammon and many other things will help with lowering blood sugar. And excersise. If you have a meter., use it to experiment and to check progress. dont get obsessed with the numbers tho.. Itll all seem completely normal soon enough. And ask as many questions as you like on here..

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thanks Nigelh. At the moment I've only cut out crisps, sweets & chocolate & barely have any energy - so too scared to go any further with bread, pasta etc - in case I can't get out of bed! But will try eating more fats.

 

[cusally]

thanks all for your encouragement, it is very appreciated.

GP weighed me today and i have lost 2kg since he weighed me last Monday, that is 4 and half pounds. I have been on the 8 week blood sugar diet with the Dr Mosley book, and am very pleased as that is a massive loss in 1 week, without feeling very deprived or hungry ! I showed him the book and he had heard of it, but not in detail and he is happy for me to continue ( not that he could have persuaded me otherwise to be honest ) I have continued with normal energy levels which included 3 days moving furniture and lots of walks, so have not felt tired - Shoelace the diet allows more fat and protein, so am eating more cheese and meat instead of carbs, so maybe you need to do that too ?

I am about to start Metformin, lowest dose, he prescribed the SR while telling me its more expensive but worth it, and to see the Nurse for advice about general eye and foot health etc. As i live in a rural area, joining a support group would be a pain, so I'm going to use this Forum instead, and my friend is going to diet with me as she had several diabetic relatives who all had terrible lives coping with it (back in the 1960's !).

So feeling a bit positive, just need those eyes to get back to normal,

Shoelace - if you are feeling tired, why not try a day or so of my diet ? Sample day: 2 boiled eggs for breakfast, with a couple of tomatoes and several cups of tea. Lunch: Avocado with green salad and any other green thing i fancy like celery/ green beans , 1 large tomato, and either a tablespoon of butterbean hummus or a little mayonnaise, or a portion of grated cheese. Dinner: Roast Chicken or Steak or Fish or any other meat (with its fat mmmmmm) with home made ratatouille or other filling veg. That leaves a bit of flexibility for a snack such as cheese, or nuts, or peanut butter etc. Honestly I am not hungry or tired at all, and its still low calory, and men can have supper too ! anyway the point im trying to make is that, like NigelH says, you need to add fat to your diet which may sound madness but you need energy to burn

 

[Liam1955]

@Shoelace1973 - @Nigelh - A lot of Forum Members follow the LCHF Diet = Low Carb High Fat - not only does it lower blood sugars and HBA1C, but helps with weight loss. Here is a link for you to read: http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds - I have been taking Metformin now for 16 years and occasionally suffer with upset stomach, but the worst side effect of it is Constipation it causes me! It is usually the first drug used for Type 2 Diabetes - it lowers the amount of sugar created by the Liver, and decreases the amount of sugar absorbed by the intestines. That's why you always take it with food..

 

[Shoelace1973]

Thank you all for your advice. I seem to be stuck in the mindset that eating more fat = getting fatter & weight gain! But I need to eat something to get some energy back - so will give it a try. Is full fat milk ok as a drink?

 

[Liam1955]

@Shoelace1973 - No, full fat milk has a lot of calories. Why not try scrambled eggs and sprinkle in some cheese.

 

[Shoelace1973]

That's the one thing I can't eat anymore - boiled, fried or scrambled eggs. Gives me a worse stomach ache than the Metformin!

 

[cusally]

full fat milk, full fat yogurt, is what he recommends, but as I don't like full fat milk, i feel happy continuing with semi skimmed milk which i have always had. I would rather go without milk than have that wishy washy skimmed milk !!
Personal choice is, as ever, a matter for each one of us !

 

[paganlass]

I was diagnosed 6 weeks ago and I was offered metformin. I refused and said I would try diet n exercise first. I was shocked. I came here first after the dn told me I couldn't have a meter as type 2.s don't need it. I was advised to get one and I did. It was the best advise. I now know which foods affects my blood. I have gone low carb high fat and in 6 weeks my weight has gone from 12 St 3 to 11, 4. My blood is down from 20,s to between 5.4 and 7. I feel a little more in control now. Although I must say I had no diabetic symptoms other than tiredness and I put that down to running round after my disabled husband all day. But I must say I do feel much better now my sugar is under control. Good luck.

 

[Liam1955]

@paganlass - Well Done, let's hope more recently diagnosed members read your post and take advice from it.

 

[paganlass]

Oh Thankyou liam1955. I know how daunting and frightening it was for me. I'm not perfect but I'm managing! X

 

[Shoelace1973]

@paganlass - wow, that's really good - well done.

My sugars were down to 6.8 just before dinner last night - but by that time I felt really ill, heart palpitations & dizzy - so had to have some juice! Not sure why, as that's not considered to be too low!

If you can keep your blood sugars where they should be, with diet & exercise, are you still considered diabetic?

 

[AndyFi]

hi All,
like shoelace i am recently diagnosed type 2 , and on metformin 1 three times a day . my blood was 22 when diagnosed now at 8-10 which is a lot better . And i understand what you say about the side effects of the tablets, i little warning from the gp would been nice from the nausea to vomiting , even urinating blood at one stage .. not nice . but hey been 4 weeks now and most of the effects have subsided . (drinking a lot of water ) . i see most have also issues with their eyes , i am also the same which is my main worry , been over 4 weeks and still blurry . can t seem to find any link to the blurriness to my sugar levels. so not sure where to go from here?

i did find i need reading glasses , but now they allow me to see distance ish , but don't want to rely on the glasses as most say the eyes will recover?
also my sugars are not really constant up and down through out the day ..is this normal ?
great forum and when i was first diagnosed you get very little info at the beginning and can seem lonely

thanks
Andy

 

[Liam1955]

@AndyFi - Hi. You said in your post that at one stage you passed blood? Did you report this to your GP and/or Diabetic Nurse?
The Metformin drug is usually the first drug prescribed to Type 2's, there will be a slight decrease in blood sugars after a few weeks, but it can take up to a couple of months to build up in your system to have the desired effect. Changing your diet will have a quicker effect on blood sugars.